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Fundraising Strategy
We have covered a significant portion of the budget through in kind donations from Jason Reid and Ian Connors in the form of equipment (cameras, computers, and editing systems) and services (shooting and post-production). Our contributions equate to $60,000. We have also received a $5,000 grant from the City of Seattle's CityArtist program and have applied for grants from a number of other organizations including the Pacific Pioneer Fund, Artist Trust, Humanities Washington, and the Sundance Institute Documentary Fund. We have also secured corporate sponsorship from some great companies including MSR, Therm-a-Rest, Sealine, Norco Bicycles, and Axiom Performance Gear, all giving generous donations of essential gear and clothing for our trip. We have also received some generous individual donations that have helped out considerably.

In addition, we are conducting an online fundraising campaign to help us offset some of the production costs. We have a significant online network on which to draw, and hope to raise up to $25,000 by the premiere. We will continue to apply for grants and other opportunities after we return from China and move into the next phase of the project. Once the film is complete, we plan to market the film on the festival circuit, as well as actively seek distribution on DVD, television, and even theatrical release.

Distribution and Marketing Strategy
China is the world's most populous country and possesses the fastest growing economy; interest in the country has outpaced information about it. Our film will offer a fresh perspective as a result of the slow pace of our travels and our interactions with the people we encounter. It will provide the audience a more realistic look at China, away from the glitz and glamour of the Olympic games. We think the time is right to explore the country on a more personal level, something that has been lacking in much of the recent coverage. For these reasons, we feel confident that we will be able to market the film to a broad audience.

We intend to premiere the film in Seattle, June 2009. At the screening, we will be inviting expert speakers on China, the environment, and bicycle touring to join us in a Q&A about the issues presented in the film. We will promote these events widely through our website and vast online network, local newsletters and press (including the Seattle Weekly, The Stranger, and The Seattle Times, who have all reviewed our work in the past), as well as through informal and grassroots promotion throughout the city.

We will be submitting the film to festivals around the world, including the Seattle International Film Festival and Sundance. We also plan to actively seek distribution in all areas including television, DVD, and theatrical release once the film is complete.

If you are interested in investing in Man Zou, please contact Jason Reid directly and he will provide an itemized budget and an investment guide.

“The bicycle is the most civilized conveyance known to man. Other forms of transport grow daily more nightmarish. Only the bicycle remains pure in heart.”
—Iris Murdoch

“When man invented the bicycle, he reached the peak of his attainments. Here was a machine of precision and balance for the convenience of man. And (unlike subsequent inventions for man´s convenience) the more he used it, the fitter his body became. Here, for once was a product of man´s brain that was entirely beneficial to those who used it, and of no harm or irritation to others. Progress should have stopped when man invented the bicycle.”
—Elizabeth West